Twenty-five years ago this December, the Tyrone Golden Eagle football team won the first PIAA state football championship in Tyrone and Blair County history. Some stars of that team have become a part of Tyrone football legend.

Tyrone’s Bobby Barnes was a wide receiver on the 1999 team, but you won’t find his name in any of the stat lines or highlights from that season.

What Barnes overcame off the field makes his story more meaningful than any high school football glory.

A few weeks before the beginning of the 1999 season, a devastating injury abruptly crushed his dreams of a college or professional football career.

Barnes took a daring leap to catch the ball during a high-energy practice. Little did he know it would be a life-changing event.

“I jumped up and made a leaping catch in practice and a kid took my legs out from under me in mid-air. I came down on my lower back feeling a pop in it,” Barnes said.

Despite the immediate pain that rushed through him, Barnes brushed it off assuming his back just cracked. He continued to play like this for weeks until the pain became so unbearable that he had to crawl to the phone.

His mother took him to the doctors only to find out he was born with a lumbar defect causing his two vertebrae to rub together. His injury at practice caused his top vertebrae to crush into his bottom vertebrae, causing severe damage to his back. Barnes was told that he could no longer play football.

Barnes had always dreamed of playing professional football for as long as he could remember.

He knew the NFL was a long shot but said, “To never have an opportunity to even finish high school football was quite crushing at fifteen years old.”

Tyrone Head Coach John Franco still remembers Barnes, 25 years later.

“[Barnes] was a very strong player and we hated to see that happen to him,” Franco said.

Against the doctor’s orders, Barnes tried coming back for his senior year, but the doctor was right.

“I practiced for two weeks and could hardly use my legs again without much pain so I was forced to quit,” Barnes said.

Not only did he have to suffer the pain of letting go of a sport he loved, but he also had to part ways with the friends that came with it.

After his injury, all of his friends “left him in the dust” because he couldn’t play ball, said Barnes.

After enduring all of this head-on, Barnes life took another turn for the worse.

He fell in with the wrong group of people and adopted bad habits.

Barnes replaced football practice and lifting weights with drinking, partying, and drugs.

To Barnes, this was the only way to ease the pain his life had become.

“It wasn’t until after I got in a physical altercation with the police after partying too hard one night, that I learned my lesson,” Barnes said. “I chose to quit these behaviors but I knew I was going to have a tough road ahead. I had to go through recovery and once again I was abandoned by my new set of friends.”

Even though Barnes was able to recover from the habits he fell into, the consequences of his actions have left a mark on him still today.

He may have ventured off that path, but it’s still engraved in his past, and the devil lurks.

Barnes mentioned that the urge to drink and party never leaves his mind and he has to constantly tell himself that it’s not worth it to allow history to repeat itself.

Though he also said that the decision had become a little easier with “having an amazing wife with four amazing, beautiful children,” Barnes said.

“I’m still to this day, 20 years later, fighting the battle of repairing the damage I’ve done to my reputation and life. If I could have done something differently I would have stuck with baseball and basketball and focused on my schoolwork so I’m not stuck doing a job I’m not passionate about for the rest of my life,” Barnes said.

Barnes’ life is a lesson about how a few little mistakes can lead to someone’s life being turned upside down.

Although Barnes still has to work with these challenges, they have shaped him into who he is today.

Today Barnes is an excellent leader, a good husband, and a good dad, among many other things.

He lives in Tyrone with his wife Samantha and four children Jacob, Makayla, Taylor, and Logan.

Barnes has worked his way up from being a driver to his current position as a manager at Balford’s Linen in Tipton. He helps coach baseball and flag football for his kid’s teams. One of his favorite hobbies is softball. He has been a player and a coach on several teams in the area.

He has also been granted the chance to raise four children and help them avoid similar mistakes.

“Not all heroes wear capes some just show up with open hearts and patience. My stepdad didn’t have to step in, but he did, and he’s been there for every big and small moment, shaping my life in ways he may never know,” Jacob Howard said. “He showed me that family isn’t just who you’re born with—it’s who stands by you when it matters most.”

Jacob Howard was six years old when his stepfather and mother met. Barnes set an amazing example for him of what it takes for a man to step up and do something.

According to Howard, Barnes fulfilled the role another man was unwilling to; he’s the reason Howard is the man he is today.

More than anyone, his wife Samantha has witnessed the devil within him being cast out, beyond what his children can see.

“My husband has transformed in ways I never imagined. Those wild party days are behind him, replaced by a dedication to our family that shines through in everything he does,” Samantha Barnes said. “He’s not just a partner; he’s a role model for our children, showing them the importance of responsibility, kindness, and hard work. Watching him embrace fatherhood has been a beautiful reminder that true strength lies in love and commitment.”

Barnes’s battle remained off the field yet was caused by the sport he adored so much. Although without all of these hardships, he would never had been able to leave his mark on the world through his children.

Even though there weren’t any jaw-dropping moments on the field during the PIAA championship game or the season caused by Barnes, it’s hard to ignore the inspiring story of one of our own alumni players.

Barnes’s advice to young athletes and students today is clear.

“Your grades in school will set you up for life later on. Although you may feel miserable doing it right now, take your school work seriously, and place it as your top priority,” Barnes said. “Get good grades so you can do something in life you love doing. All of you can put the work in now while you still have the chance and time for fun and sports. That way you’re living a good life later on.”

This story was originally published on Tyrone Eagle Eye News on October 31, 2024.